SAMRO is often spoken about as this mysterious place where people go to register each year. It almost seems more like a right of passage into the music industry than a music rights organization. I always get emails asking for forms or even worse, explanations on how to fill out their forms. I've been to their website and it's fairly straightforward. Sure, they use jargon, but you should expect this. Random people don't come off the street looking for SAMRO. It's a very niche organization. Their tiers of membership are also fairly straightforward. If you can read English, you should be okay to fill out their forms. For those who aren't able to, they have help lines you can call for assistance. I've called them numerous times before and I've received speedy help from them. They will ask for certain things like identification documents as well as any other standard form would require. The trick is to go onto their website and find out what you need to submit.
When people are really struggling, I'll tell them to call the offices and really pester them. They have a call center with people happy to help clarify all kinds of questions. If you manage to get through then you will be able to get info so that you can check your profile and see what kind of membership you have. Please clarify your status with SAMRO ASAP. Register ASAP and clarify ASAP because once you fill your forms in, there's a waiting period before your first royalty payment comes through. The process from prospective to active member at SAMRO can take just over a year to complete.
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